Foundry's State of the CIO study - North America research

1. 76%
of CIOs in North America agree that
the CIO role was elevated due to the
current state of the economy and
this visibility within the organization
is expected to continue
83%
of North America CIOs
say that their role is
becoming more digital
and innovation-focused
82%
of North America CIOs are
more involved in leading digital
transformation initiatives compared
to their business counterparts
84%
of CIOs in North America
agree that the CIO is becoming
a change-maker, increasingly
leading business and
technology initiatives
NORTH AMERICA
State of the CIO 2023
Technology budgets on the incline
91%
of organizations in
North America expect
their overall IT budget
to either increase or
stay the same in 2023
Top reasons for technology
budget increase
Need for security
improvements 45%
Need to upgrade outdated
IT infrastructure 35%
Investment in new
skills or talent 35%
Application modernization 33%
Product innovation 24%
Top reasons for technology
budget decrease
Company finances
or performance 60%
Economic instability
or uncertainty 57%
Reduced employee
headcount 40%
Made a one-time technology
investment in 2022 so no
longer need that budget 23%
Downsized or closed
physical offices 17%
Who is the North America CIO
in today’s business environment?
North America business and
technology initiatives in 2023
Which business initiatives are
driving IT investments?
Increasing operational efficiency 52%
Increasing cybersecurity
protections 46%
Transforming existing
business processes 39%
Improving the customer
experience 36%
Improving profitability 28%
Which technology initiatives
are driving IT investments?
Security/risk management 43%
Data/business analytics 38%
Application/legacy
systems modernization 29%
Cloud infrastructure
(private or hybrid) 25%
Machine learning/artificial
intelligence (AI) 22%
ESG standards have become increasingly
more important in the North America region
51%
of CIOs agree they’re
tasked with adhering
to ESG standards
and are involved
in the selection of
clean information
technology
46%
of CIOs agree that
aligning their business
with ESG standards is
influencing technology
buying plans for 2023
51%
of CIOs say that
adhering to ESG
standards is an
important buying
criterion when
reviewing technology
vendors or partners
To learn more about the North America CIO and how Foundry can help
you identify content gaps and needs to help you better engage with your
audience, contact your Foundry sales representative.
Budget expectations
50%
increase
41%
remain
the same
9%
decrease
Source: Foundry State of the CIO, 2023
Executive-level administration 61%
Operations 54%
Finance/accounting 38%
Risk management/compliance 34%
Engineering 27%
Human resources 25%
Research and development 23%
Marketing 24%
Sales 21%
Supply chain 20%
The CIO is working more closely with these groups this year
What North America CIOs
focus on in their roles
1. Security management
2. Improving IT operations
or systems performance
3. Aligning IT initiatives
with business goals
4. Modernizing infrastructure
and applications
5. Cost control or expense
management
Top priorities for 2023
1. Upgrade IT and data security
to reduce corporate risk
2. Strengthen IT and
business collaboration
3. Improve the
customer experience
4. Lead digital business or digital
transformation initiatives
5. Help reach a specific goal for
corporate revenue growth
How are North America CIOs involved in
creating revenue-generating initiatives?
34%
Manage a team
tasked with this
26%
Part of a team
tasked with this
40%
Team is not tasked
with the creation of
revenue-generating initiatives
60%
of North
America CIOs
say that the
creation of
new revenue-
generating
initiatives is
among their job
responsibilities